Weather permitting Cumbria’s rugby union sides will get back into action tomorrow with the scheduled resumption of league fixtures.
It couldn’t have been tougher for Penrith, who face a trip to Regional 1 North East leaders Heath who are 100% from their 13 games.
Penrith ended the year with a narrow 31-29 home defeat to Driffield, a welcome close game after some chastening reversals which have dragged them towards a possible relegation battle.
Injuries have played havoc with Penrith’s chances this season, after a bright start, and now with some players returning to action they will be looking to garner some much needed points – although tomorrow will be tough no doubt.
Kendal are at home, but they do have an attractive fixture with third in the table Alnwick which should attract a decent crowd given the lack of rugby over the last fortnight.
Alnwick are 11 points behind Heath and have won ten of their 13 fixtures so far, losing the other three.
Dan Bowman’s side are top of the bottom half – seventh – as the league has materialised into two distinct tables.
In the Regional 2 North all four Cumbrian sides face trips to the North East to get 2026 underway.
Keswick, who have slipped to fifth after lying second for several weeks, travel to Morpeth who are three points and two places below them.
Aspatria are desperate for points to climb away from their current position of next-to-bottom but it’s a tough one as they travel to Consett, a much improved side who lie second in the table.
The Black Reds only have Wigton below them and the Greens, although learning and adapting all the time already look set for a return to Counties 1 Cumbria.
Again they have a tough ask, travelling to play a Percy Park side who are third in the table and who ended 2025 with a big 46-5 home win over Guisborough.
Upper Eden are solidly mid-table (8th) and face a trip to West Hartlepool who are sixth but only two points better-off than the Pennine Park side.
It’s very tight at the top of Counties 1 Cumbria as Hawcoat Park (43) lead the way from Carlisle (42) and Kirkby Lonsdale (41).
Hawcoat Park, in some way the surprise package of the season so far, start 2026 with a trip into the Lakes to play Keswick 2nds. Martin Denvir will have the whistle for this one.
Carlisle will expect to keep the pressure on the south Cumbrians when they entertain Windermere with Johnny Watson the man in the middle.
It might be a bit tougher for Kirkby Lonsdale who entertain St Benedict’s and Simon Barker will be in charge.
The other games are: Cockermouth v Workington (Iain Tait); Millom v Whitehaven (Cieran Trainor); Egremont v Creighton (Paddy Loughran) fixtures and Penrith 2nds v Ambleside (Martin Maughan).
Among the games on Sunday are three fixtures for Ladies – Keswick v Carlisle (NC1 North, George Tressider); Workington Finches v Peterlee and Horden (NC1 North, Ben King) and Penrith v Wensleydale (NC2 North, Martin Maughan).
